Mailing envelope



.March 4, 1958 .1.4. ALvEs MAILING ENVELOPE Filed-Jan. 1s, '1955 United States Patent y fr l 2,825,498 Patent-,ed Mar.. 4", 1958i MAILING ENVELOPE John J: Alves, Braintree, Mass., assigner to Alves Photo Sltlervutt,I Inc., Braintree, Mass., a corporation of Massac use Applicationv January 13, 1955, Serial No. 481,535

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-68) like an advertisement will tear it up and throw it away without taking` time to examine its content. This is especially true where the address is typed on -a gum label which is. alhxed tothe envelope. ina somewhat haphazard fashion, so that it is skew and especially if the label has a ragged` edge such as is the case when the label is torn `i from a sheet of labels pre-perforated for separation after the sheet has been typed with the addresses of persons to which the advertising matter is to be mailed.

It is well known that. the Window type of envelope for mailing having a transparency in it through which the recipients address may be seen and which is frequently used by banks, insurance companies and by departments of the government, bears a considerable amount of prestige since it is olhcial in appearance. As a result such envelopes are seldom disposed of without rst opening them. Such envelopes however are more expensive than plain envelopes and hence are not used generally for advernsrng purposes.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide a mailing envelope which will simulate the appearance and hence have the prestige and ocial bearing of the `con- Yentional window envelope `but at the same time will be nearly as inexpensive to manufacture and use for volume advertising as the conventionally used plain envelope.

Another object is to provide an envelope with a simulated window which is adapted to receive the address of the recipient directly as by typing or to have applied to it a gum label carrying the address. Another object is to provide an envelope with a simulated window to which a gum label bearingthe address of the recipient may be applied accurately Without skew and with a minimum delineation of its edges so that it appears not to be a label. Another object is to provide an envelope with a simulated Window and applied label that will require no special manufacturing practice other than printing in its preparation, ll-

ing or mailing. Another object is to provide an address label for application to an envelope having a simulated window characterized in that after application its edges will blend with the window area so as to be indistinctly visible.

As herein illustrated the envelope is of the conventional kind having front and back walls and a flap which may or may not have glue for sealing it. In accordance with the invention the front wall has on it an area designed to simulate a window transparency within which the address -of the recipient may be placed. The area simulating the window transparency is in the form of stippling applied directly to the wall of the envelope and is of generally rectangular shape, rounded somewhat at its corners; however, its shape may be varied to correspond to any preferred shape of window aperture. The stippled area hasI within it a. blank area. for receiving thev address of the recipient and. a gum label of corresponding shape isapplied to the blank area' on which the address: of the recipient is typed so as to. appear to be visible through the simulated window. The gum label itself is preferably stippled at its marginal edges so that its edges. non-dehnitively merge with the stippled area on the envelope when applied thereto. Alternatively the blank area within the stippled area may itself receive the address without the addition of the gum label thereto.

While in the preferred form there is a blank area with.- in the stippled area this may be omitted so that the window area is stippled all over. In this case the label may be applied over the stippling` and be centered with re spe-ct thereto or if the labelwas not used the address may be applied and'/ or typed directly onI the stippling.

The. invention. will now be described in greater detail with reference to the. accompanyingv drawingswherein:

Fig. l is a front view` of an envelope showing a stippled area applied to the front wall thereof;

Fig. 2 is: aA rear or back viewy of the envelope;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the envelope showing the stippled area applied to the front wall thereof and a gummed address label applied thereto;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 shows a sheet of gum labels prior to separation into individual labels for application to the envelope;

Fig. 7 shows a single label addressed and ready for application to the envelope; and

Fig. 8' shows a fragmentary portion of an envelope and Stippling applied thereto omitting a dened blank area for the gum label.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a conventional mailing envelope. 10 having a front Wall 12, a rear wall 14 and a closure flap 16 which may be secured in place to close the mouth of the envelope either by -adhesive or by other suitable fastening means. While the mailing envelope shown herein is of the size conventionally referred to as the No. l0 'business size envelope the invention is equally applicable to the shorter personal size envelopes or to larger envelopes, such as may be fabricated of Manila paper to take unfolded legal size documents.

In accordance with the invention the front side 12 of. the envelope as shown herein, which is the side ordinarily employed to receivethe address of the recipient, has applied thereto in that portion which is conventionally selected for receiving the address, stippling 1S. The stipplin-g may be applied by use of any conventional printing method. The. stippling is -appliedf So as to simulate a transparent window in color, size and shape. The color may be varied both by the shade of the ink and by the density of its application. The stippled area as herein shown is substantially rectangular, its top land bottom edges and its end edges being parallel respectively, with the top and bottom edges of the envelope and with the ends of the envelope and its corners being rounded. The specific shape of the stippled area may however be varied without departing from the scope of the invention so as to 'be oval, elliptical or perfectly rectangular without rounded corners and its position may b changed to suit the taste of the user. Moreover the size of the area may be made larger or smaller depending upon the size of the envelope and upon the amount of printing to be applied thereto in addressing the envelope.

In accordance with the preferred practice there is left within the stippled area a blank area 20, that is an area from which stippling is omitted. This area, as shown herein, is perfectly rectangular, its edges paralleling the edges of the stippled area; however, it may as previously j f YV:2,825,498

indicated witlri'espect'tici-thev stippled; area be modied f both in'size and shape.` The purpose of theblankrarea is Y' Vto receive a gum label on which is placed the address of the recipient. ;By omitting the stippling the 'blanlgarea Y serves ptoV assistY Yi1- centering' theg'ut'nlabelf'fwithinfithe that the gum labelwill Vbecomedetaczhe'dby reason-"of Y adhesive improperly 'bondi'gthe'reto. -'Additionally th is ran appreciablesaving of'ik. 'f f 'f Asheetu 22 bf'gurh; labelsn24 is -shown inl'Fig. 'lfthe individual labels being detachable along Ylines of weakness orrperforations 26. 4f-Eajcli gum labeljhas'fa central blank area 28 of generally rectangular shapewhichisrbounded along its margins by'stippling 30 applied lther'etorwhich is sof' the 'sameA characteristic colorfand'density` 'as that applied to the envelope#'The lverall dimensionsjoi each label -are'rsuch "a'stciY coi/"er the blank arealonanenvelope vwith avvery slight 'overlapping of'- the edges beyond `the blank areafontothe stippled-'area of Vtheenvelop'ef` .if i I -Y Priore to separationlofthe 'individual' labelsafsheetY of labels is placed in Ythe-typewriterV or other Vaddress machine-fandlthe addresses of various. recipients are Ytyped in the blank spaces28-of 'th'e labels. .Theindividual flabelsrar'e .tlaen-'separated asf shown inLFig.l 62 Vandge'ach VVtectly square withrespect to the edges of thelenvelpe and centered within thestippled area; andV the. stippling on the individual gum labels will blendwiththaLon the envelopes so asV to substantially obscure the .placsiat which the edges of the labels meet the stippledA areas of the envelopes. When properly applied and pressed rr'nly intoplace the edges of the gum label blend so uniformly: with the stippled area as to be substantially invisiblerso that the label itself V.appears to be a partof. the simulated windowand the address appears to be visible-through the Vsimulated window; Y f i j While the use of the blank .area V20 withinthe stippled area'i's preferredit is Ywithin the scope of the inventionV to applythe stippling to theentire addressareagasrshown at 18a in'Fig. 8'.VV The ,gum label Vmay thenbe'applied to the stippled area in the sameY fashion ats-heretofore described theV only disadvantagel being that itmay; notbe.

` aseasyto apply the label in a properly centered position.;

to thev stippled area 18a inth'ealternativefform shown in Fig. 8. The effect in the case of applying theV address to the-.blank area of the envelope shown in Fig. l isY quite similar to that -secured by applying thefgurnmed label' thereto but has the disadvantage 'thatseach nvelope'nust .Y

be placed Yin the typewriter and typed individually. which requires more time and necessitates'addressing the'eh-'pVv velope before it is illed.Y If envelopes suchV as shown :in Fig. 8 are employed and the address is :typed directlyY on u the stippling the effect of the window is somewhatless-l ened, although, forfuse fwhereV envelopes may be employed.

conomy requires Vit such The important advantages lof. envelopes asy describedV above inits Various forms illustrated are that a comparaf tively' inexpensive enveloperis available`foradvertising purposes which mayebemanufactured withougmat'eralf alterations to simulate the window type envelope and thus to secure the advantages of appearance andprestige *ordi-V narily associated with such envelopes, which will provide means for rapid addressing and' stung of the envelopes and which Vwill not materially increase the cost of the envelopes for the addressing and preparing fork mailing f over4 tb'ose'of the conventional plain businessenvelope.V

Y Itshould be VAunderstood lthatVA the :present fdisclosrure is for the purpose of illustration-only andthatthisinvention Yincludes all modifications and equivalents fallrvwithg Y V.An envelope including a pocket comprisingfrontand back'walls of opaque sheet material'and'a ap 'for 'closing'VY the same,` said .front Vwall Abeing-normallyV reserx'fed-forV envelope Within the boundariesV of the stippledarea'so that the latter iframes the label,`said label being adapted to receive theiaddress vof the recipient, and stipplingonV n the marginal edges `ofthe gummed labelsubstantiallyV blending into andeiacing the meeting place 'ofi theA deirii-A tive-.edges ofthe label withthe stippling onthe walloff e Y envelope... s '.Qi :1,

V References Cited inthe tleof this-patent Y UNITED STATES PATENTS K K'Great Britain 

